UK university in trouble over nursing students

BRITISH authorities have suspended the license of Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland to sponsor foreign students after they discovered that 150 Filipino nursing students there had been working almost full-time in violation of immigration regulations, the BBC has reported.

The foreign students have been taking a BSC Nursing (Professional Development) course, which involves a large proportion of work-based learning.

Under immigration rules, students are allowed to work while studying, but only for a maximum of 20 hours a week.

But following an inspection last week, the UK Border Agency expressed concern that students were working much longer hours.

Students were found to be working full-time in care homes and had only been attending formal studies for one or two days a month, instead of the required minimum of 15 hours a week.

“I can confirm that Glasgow Caledonian University’s Tier 4 license has been suspended following concerns about abuses of the immigration system,” said Phil Taylor, regional director at the UK Border Agency

The university now has 28 days in which to demonstrate it has addressed the problems. About 10 percent of the university’s 17,000 students are from overseas.

In a statement, the university said it expected the issues to be resolved in the near future, and that it was cooperating with the authorities

Unions have called for an immediate inquiry into the running of the university.

The UK is a popular destination for many Filipino nurses.